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All the United States New York State New York City Eden Original American Kazoo Company

Original American Kazoo Company

This two-room factory has been cranking out the musical signifier of zaniness for a century.

Eden, New York

Added By
Ron Doster
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A handsome sign marks the spot   BlueRon / Atlas Obscura User
The only building in the area with a giant kazoo on the roof   BlueRon / Atlas Obscura User
Kazoo factory line   Z22
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About

In 1916, a sheet metal shop in a town south of Buffalo decided to engage in a new endeavor: the manufacture of kazoos, a toy instrument craze brought to the area by a traveling salesman. The gambit paid off, as the easy-to-play novelty shortly thereafter rose to prominence in vaudeville and jug bands, and was featured in a surprising number of early musical recordings.

Proving capable of keeping up with the growing demand, the Original American Kazoo Company cornered the market, ultimately becoming the only manufacturer of metal kazoos in North America. At its height, the factory was producing 1.5 million kazoos annually, using equipment and facilities largely unchanged from its early days in the midst of World War I.

Eventually changing hands and transferring the bulk of kazoo production responsibilities to a facility in the Hudson Valley, the site is known officially today at the Kazoo Factory, Museum, and Boutique Gift Shop of Eden. Most of the original machines and infrastructure are still used to make kazoos (albeit a smaller number per year), making it a rare example of a fully operational industrial museum.

Visitors can tour the small factory and museum and observe the step-by-step making of metal kazoos. There are also one-of-a-kind specialty kazoos on display.

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Factories Museums Museums And Collections Music

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Added By

BlueRon

Edited By

RHyzer

  • RHyzer

Published

September 29, 2016

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Sources
  • http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-05-29-ny-kazoos_N.htm
  • http://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/fl-travel-kazoo-museum-2-20150207-story.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazoo
Original American Kazoo Company
8703 South Main Street
Eden, New York
United States
42.649056, -78.898197
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